Member Since: 28 Dec 2018
Location: Cradley Heath
Posts: 382
Wrong fuel problems
We all know that putting petrol in a diesel car is not a good idea. Usually the problems are fuel system related like injectors not functioning or fuel pump failure. If you catch it in time, you can drain the entire fuel system, flush with diesel, drain again, change the fuel filter and then fill the entire tank with the correct fuel.
However, if you are unlucky enough to not catch it in time and the engine stops, don't think that just a drain and refill will do the trick. Even a small amount of petrol will change the burn temperature in the combustion chamber and you wouldn't know it. You car may run and you think you've got away with it, but the chances are you haven't.
We've seen a few piston melts recently and the story has always been the same; petrol.
This one was from a car that the owner hadn't noticed he was putting petrol in at the pump. The tank was 1/4 full and he put just over £20 of petrol in. He drove away and a few miles later the engine stopped. He called one of these 'wrong fuel' emergency call out firms. They drained the tank and put 20ltrs of diesel in with some sort of additive. They told him to drive slowly to the nearest fuel station and fill the tank right up. He did this and thanked his lucky stars.
50 miles later the engine started to make a strange noise while driving up the motorway. He kept it going to the next services somehow and the engine died as soon as it hit idle.
So, apart from not putting petrol in a diesel tank in the first place, make sure that if you use a 'wrong fuel' specialist, they know what the're doing and then, if you are VERY lucky, you'll have saved yourself a load of money having your engine rebuilt by us!
PS. A little tip when buying these cars; look in the filler cap to see if the yellow tag has been deployed. This would indicate that at some point a petrol filling hose has been in there!!!Joe
21st Aug 2019 2:12 pm
rrhool
Member Since: 28 Aug 2014
Location: Norfolk
Posts: 4405
I guess that even if you drain the tank, there will be quite a lot of petrol in the lines and the filter.Richard
D3 SE 2007. Triumph 2.5Pi 1973. Ferguson TEA20 1948.
Discovery 2 4.0 ES 2001- Gone
Discovery 1 300Tdi ES '95 - Gone
Range Rover Classic '79 - Gone
21st Aug 2019 2:35 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72798
We had a lucky escape
15 quid of petrol ,the wife new she did it and wrang me,I says don’t move phone green flag
They sent a truck out to recover to a drain specialist as the Mobile drain lad was flat out
Flushed and 20 quid of diesel in which by the way didn’t move the gauge from empty
Been ok for 2 years or more now
Had a petrol whiff for a day or so ,I don’t believe these drain companies can get all the fuel out
I did some googling across the main LR3 forums and no end had done it and just brimmed the tank and had no issues , lot of lucky people out there.
24th Aug 2019 5:51 pm
Charliecloud
Member Since: 31 Jul 2014
Location: Tonbridge
Posts: 980
Watch you don’t put diesel in , heard that’s not a good idea
24th Aug 2019 9:29 pm
M3bobby
Member Since: 21 May 2018
Location: Sleaford, LINCS.
Posts: 857
Gone are the days of the series 3 Diesel, when you dropped a bit of petrol in the tank to help with the freezing temperatures.
25th Aug 2019 6:47 am
pettsy
Member Since: 08 Dec 2018
Location: Derbyshire
Posts: 33
One of the 1.9 non-turbo diesel berlingo vans at a company I worked for years ago had petrol ran through it 3 times over the years. I think it was an accident that wrote it off not engine problems.
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